Floodgap Roadgap's RoadsAroundME: Maine State Route 166

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Maine State Route 166

<< Maine State Route 165 All Points in Maine Maine State Route 166A >>

Termini and Mileage (2006)

Termini
Main alignment: Int of RTE 166, MAIN ST, BA, Castine to Int of NEW RD, ST RTE 166, ST, Penobscot
Mileage
Main alignment: 7.34 miles (total over all segments)

Notes and History
ME 166 is fascinating to roadgeeks as its history offers a rare (in Maine) sea of signed suffixed routes.
ME 166 as originally designated in 1925 ran between Macwahoc and Houlton, both terminating at NEI 15 (now US 2); an early 1924 pre-signage map shows it as far south as Mattawamkeag, but this routing does not appear on the 1925 route log. Although it survived the Maine Great Renumbering, in 1936 the entire alignment was designated as US 2A and the number lapsed until 1939 when it was reincarnated in Castine, far to the south. However, rather than simply returning as ME 166, it emerged as a split route, ME 166E and ME 166W (a/k/a 166-E and 166-W in some route logs), both legs taking the eastern and western portions respectively of ME 175 to North Castine and shifting ME 175 up to a link road from which both forks of ME 166 originated. In those days, ME 175 came straight south on Castine Rd (ME 199 occupying ME 175's later alignment on New Rd), sent ME 166W off southwesterly along what is now The Shore Rd, continued on its new link routing, and then bounded back up northeasterly just north of North Castine, sending ME 166E south from there to rejoin its current routing at Dunbar and New Rds west of Penobscot (see ME 175 and ME 199). ME 166W intersected ME 166E at what is now The Shore Rd and Castine Rd, and ME 166E continued into Castine along the routing of defunct ME 202SH. Its routing was Castine Rd, then southwesterly along Battle Ave to Main St, where it ended near the coast.
Unlike the modern internal S/W suffixes, it appears that these suffixed routes really were signed, and they appeared as suffixed routes on the official map and route logs.
Sadly, these suffixed designations ultimately only lasted a year or two until the routes were reorganized in 1940-1; ME 175 was moved up to replace ME 199 on New Rd where it runs now and ME 199 shifted to the old ME 175 alignment on Dunbar Rd to intersect the new ME 166, generated out of ME 166E and the old portion of ME 175 along Castine Rd, terminating in Castine at ME 166E's old terminus. ME 166W, for its part, continued to run on the western coast of the peninsula despite the demise of ME 166E and lasted until 1946-7 when it was renumbered to ME 166A. ME 166's routing since then has not been significantly changed.
NAVTEQ shows ME 166 and ME 199 cosigned all the way into Castine itself. This does not appear to have ever been ME 199's routing.
See also ME 166A, ME 166E and ME 166W.

<< Maine State Route 165 All Points in Maine Maine State Route 166A >>

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Termini and Mileage (2006)	Termini Main alignment: Int of RTE 166, MAIN ST, BA, Castine to Int of NEW RD, ST RTE 166, ST, Penobscot Mileage Main alignment: 7.34 miles (total over all segments)

*Notes and History*	ME 166 is fascinating to roadgeeks as its history offers a rare (in Maine) sea of signed suffixed routes. ME 166 as originally designated in 1925 ran between Macwahoc and Houlton, both terminating at NEI 15 (now US 2); an early 1924 pre-signage map shows it as far south as Mattawamkeag, but this routing does not appear on the 1925 route log. Although it survived the Maine Great Renumbering, in 1936 the entire alignment was designated as US 2A and the number lapsed until 1939 when it was reincarnated in Castine, far to the south. However, rather than simply returning as ME 166, it emerged as a split route, ME 166E and ME 166W (a/k/a 166-E and 166-W in some route logs), both legs taking the eastern and western portions respectively of ME 175 to North Castine and shifting ME 175 up to a link road from which both forks of ME 166 originated. In those days, ME 175 came straight south on Castine Rd (ME 199 occupying ME 175's later alignment on New Rd), sent ME 166W off southwesterly along what is now The Shore Rd, continued on its new link routing, and then bounded back up northeasterly just north of North Castine, sending ME 166E south from there to rejoin its current routing at Dunbar and New Rds west of Penobscot (see ME 175 and ME 199). ME 166W intersected ME 166E at what is now The Shore Rd and Castine Rd, and ME 166E continued into Castine along the routing of defunct ME 202SH. Its routing was Castine Rd, then southwesterly along Battle Ave to Main St, where it ended near the coast. Unlike the modern internal S/W suffixes, it appears that these suffixed routes really were signed, and they appeared as suffixed routes on the official map and route logs. Sadly, these suffixed designations ultimately only lasted a year or two until the routes were reorganized in 1940-1; ME 175 was moved up to replace ME 199 on New Rd where it runs now and ME 199 shifted to the old ME 175 alignment on Dunbar Rd to intersect the new ME 166, generated out of ME 166E and the old portion of ME 175 along Castine Rd, terminating in Castine at ME 166E's old terminus. ME 166W, for its part, continued to run on the western coast of the peninsula despite the demise of ME 166E and lasted until 1946-7 when it was renumbered to ME 166A. ME 166's routing since then has not been significantly changed. NAVTEQ shows ME 166 and ME 199 cosigned all the way into Castine itself. This does not appear to have ever been ME 199's routing. See also ME 166A, ME 166E and ME 166W.